Will the UFC hold an event in Russia in 2018?

Could the UFC be heading to Russia in 2018? According to a report from RT Sport, the UFC has secured Moscow’s Olympic Stadium, for an event on September 14th or 15th.

The UFC told ESPN that there is no official event to announce but indicated its interest in the market.

Via ESPN:

“UFC continues to make progress in the Russian market and is actively working on a partnership that could result in the global brand potentially hosting its first-ever event in Russia in 2018. The statement went on to explain the potential news of the Olympic Stadium date, “As standard operating procedure, UFC strategically holds dates with venues around the world in order to continually develop its brand internationally by bringing fight fans world-class events.”

Payout Perspective:

There was no denial of securing the date(s) for Moscow’s Olympic Stadium but, as the UFC claims, this is standard operating procedure. It would make sense since securing a venue is important and these are booked well in advance even if the actual event does not come to fruition. So, the UFC may have secured those dates but similar to a dinner reservation, it may use it or not. It would make sense that the UFC would want to expand into Russia and a dream matchup between Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Connor McGregor would be fantastic. Even if that does not happen, having Khabib headline a proposed event would be good for the company and for the extension of the UFC brand in the country.